Sex as a Predictor of Dignity-Related Distress Among Patients with Advanced Cancer.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the role of sex as a predictive factor for dignity-related distress among advanced cancer patients.

Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional survey design, utilizing a Chinese version of the Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI). The participants were 294 patients with advanced cancer who were receiving treatment at a hospital in Xinjiang, China. Univariate analyses were conducted to compare scores on the total PDI and its five dimensions between sexes. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were then performed with the PDI scores that exhibited significant sex differences designated as the dependent variable.

Results: The total and existential distress subscale PDI scores were found to be significantly higher in men than in women. However, this sex disparity in the total PDI score was not statistically significant in the multivariable model. The multivariable model revealed that factors such as sex, the method of medical care payment, cancer stage, treatment status, and performance status were significantly associated with existential distress.

Conclusions: The present findings suggest that the disparities in dignity-related distress between men and women can be better understood by examining how a patient's sex affects the experience of existential distress. The findings also show that men tend to need more support to protect their dignity in terms of their sex roles than women. Also, addressing existential distress in men can play a crucial role not only in reducing dignity-related distress but also in addressing clinical issues such as performance status.